HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Aculeata > APOIDEA > Apidae

The queens of this species are amongst the earliest bumblebees to appear in spring, typically emerging from hibernation in March, or even February in mild weather. They are readily identified by having a reddish-orange tail in combination with a bright yellow collar and a somewhat variable yellow band across the second tergite. This abdominal band is usually present in the queens, but is often weak or non-existent in the workers, which otherwise resemble small queens. In both cases the head and scutellum are entirely black. The small fluffy males have a yellow-haired head and broader yellow collar that extends back to the wing bases and then down the sides of the thorax, and a generally wider abdominal band that may partially cover the rear of the first tergite as well as the whole of the second.

In the south, there's a second generation with new queens emerging in May and with individuals from any caste persisting through to September or even October. They are our smallest bumblebee species and also one of the most common and widespread, occurring in various habitats including gardens. Nests are either above or below ground, usually quite small with no more than a hundred or so workers.